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Pipeline Workshops™: More of What Builders Say About It

In their own words, more comments from builders who have attended a Pipeline workshop™:

“The Pipeline Workshop™ and associated business case study was an excellent way to help me shift my production paradigms, from growing capacity to maximizing my current capacity.” (Chris Harrison, President, SW Region, Primera)

“The concept of production building being in a “Pipeline”, along with the simple and straight-forward concepts discussed in this seminar made this one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had when it comes to learning about production building. I would definitely recommend this seminar to any building company looking to gain a competitive advantage and to learn ways to do more with less. The hands-on learning approach and interaction with other builders from around the country was invaluable.” (Patrick Bukszar, Director of Construction Services, Essex Homes, Lexington, SC)

“The exercises and processes opened my eyes to immediate steps I had to take to become a better builder.” (Lusant Ordonez, CEO, Zenodro Homes, Altamonte Springs, FL)

“[In many] classes, you get a lot of great ideas, but never act on them. The impact [of] this class resonated in many ways, and has spurred us to take two immediate actions: (1) hiring the design center manager that we did not think we could afford; and (2) beginning the implementation to Critical Chain Project Management. It was very clear; we have been penny-wise and pound-foolish in not hiring a strong manager for our design center, and the impact of Critical Chain will be huge on the way we conduct business.” (Karl Haslinger, CEO, Essex Homes, Lexington, SC)

“The Pipeline workshop™ was an eye opening experience. Not being an owner of the company, sometimes you don’t realize the impact day-to-day business decisions have on the true desired bottom line results of the company. Playing the Pipeline game™ gave me that ‘ah-ha’ moment, seeing first-hand how those decisions can influence your bottom line. I took away invaluable insight on what it takes to operate a profitable homebuilding company.” (Daniel Hopkins, Director of Purchasing/Estimating, Jeff Benton Homes, Huntsville, AL)

“The workshop was really effective in showing how operational decisions affect business outcomes and how risky a ‘more for more’ approach to growing a home building company really is. The Pipeline games™ were not only fun, but they were super-effective in showing how unbalancing the production system, managing the constraint resource, and managing the right amount of WIP creates predictable operational results and maximizes financial outcomes.

“At the end of the day, running a successful business is about how much money you make on the amount of money you invest. The Pipeline workshop™ helped me understand this better than any workshop or seminar I’ve ever attended. I highly recommend it.

“If [teammates] can utilize this information correctly and make good business decisions, owners are free to consult and finance rather than hand-hold. I also thought that the interactive games really showed how everyday decisions can make-or-break your production pipeline. If a start or a closing is delayed, the whole rhythm of the pipeline is off; you can’t correct that disruption, since it is a function of time. A [lost] start can never be made up.” (Sara Flint, CFO, Inland Homebuilding Group, Tampa, FL)

“I highly recommend the Pipeline Workshop™. The concepts learned have directly affected my building process in a positive way. Implementation [of these principles] will guarantee a ‘more-for-less’ mentality in any home building operation.” (Sebastian Alvarez, Member, Alvarez Construction, Baton Rouge, LA)

“The Pipeline Workshop™ really opened my eyes to how a company’s operating performance truly impacts business outcome. These are things that I already knew, but the workshop caused me to start thinking about it in a different way. For example, some companies’ motto, including ours, is to put out as many starts as we can, then sort it out in the field. After attending the workshop, I realized how counterproductive this way of thinking is; releasing more starts than our ‘pipeline’ can support is actually going to cause us to perform worse.” (Darek Burns, Purchasing and Estimating Manager, Essex Homes, Charlotte, NC)

“[Pipeline workshop™] is a concept that we, as a team, were aware of before coming to the seminar. That said, being aware of it and being able to understand and implement are two very different things. After going through the case study and the [simulations], our team went home better prepared to implement it in our company. We feel that it will be a long-term building block for us going forward.” (Justin Morrison, Vice President, Cimarron Homes, Durham, NC)

“The Pipeline workshop™ really took a different focus and approach than I was used to. I enjoyed the group workshop forum that was very interactive. It’s information that will – long-term and continually – be thought about and digested in my day-to-day work. It presented an interesting balance concerning the importance of cycle time in regards to the financial and operation spectrum. It was challenging and thought-provoking. The group games really brought the concepts to life. I appreciated the “Velocity Accelerators” discussion that touched on some of the best practices and implementation. The workshop challenged me to be a better leader in regards to velocity and its importance, as my team and I will be looking for the best ways to apply the concepts to our business model.” (Jeremy Tesimale, Production/Construction Manager, Essex Homes, Lexington, SC)

“This [Pipeline Workshop™] is one of the best I have ever attended in my 30 years in the homebuilding Industry. The way [the Pipeline game™ is incorporated] into the learning is fantastic! This course should be attended by all construction staff of any company.” (Reed Williams, President, Central Florida Region, Inland Homebuilding Group)

“The Pipeline workshop™ quickly and clearly helped me realize our company’s mismanagement of the amount of work-in-process and job starts. I believe our new thinking on those principles, along with the techniques we learned, will reduce our cycle times substantially.” (Bob Anderson, Vice President – Operations, Stylecraft Homes, College Station, TX)

“It is going to help our business refocus on what all of us already know, but lose focus of, in the haste to make money and sell as many homes as possible. What we have learned will benefit [our] business and margins, if we become disciplined, [and] stick to the principles of the pipeline.” (Sean Ward, Field Manager, Eagle Construction of Virginia, Richmond, VA)

“[The Pipeline Workshop™] allowed me to step outside of my department and see the industry on a wider scale. The Pipeline Game™ was a great visual tool that emphasized the importance that velocity plays in home building. It has allowed me to begin thinking creatively about the ways I can improve my department to ultimately improve our companies velocity overall.” (Alexa Drees, Design Consultant, Drees Homes, Jacksonville, FL)

“The Pipeline workshop™ was a great chance for my team to learn some excellent fundamentals for a better business in a very straightforward manner. The instructors were superb, and the overall atmosphere was one of education, fun, and comradery.” (David Savicki, Purchasing Manager, Cimarron Homes, Durham, NC)

“If you are looking for a way to remove status quo from your operations, you need to attend the Pipeline Workshop™.” (Marisa Clark, Regional Sales Manager, Constellation HB Systems)

[The Pipeline workshop™ was] “eye-opening and thought-provoking. The topics outlined functional business tools and methods for the current business environment.” (Ken Colen, President, ON TOP OF THE WORLD Communities, Orlando FL)

Come. Participate. Learn.

The next Pipeline workshop™ will be held at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on October 18-19, 2017. The cost is $875.00 per person; the cost during early registration, open only through July 17, 2017, is $745.00; for team pricing, inquire here (flgroves@saiconsulting.com).

Pipeline Workshops™

Pipeline Workshops™, sponsored by BUILDER and BuilderMT, are designed to transfer in-depth knowledge and create an intuitive, instinctive understanding of production principles and disciplines, focused specifically on homebuilding production management.